DOJ Calls Tulsa Race Massacre 'A Coordinated, Military-Style Attack' More Than 100 Years After Federal Report Blamed It on Black Men

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally recognized the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as "a coordinated, military-style attack" on the thriving Black community of Greenwood, marking its first comprehensive acknowledgment of the event.

On May 31 and June 1, 1921, the prosperous Greenwood District of Tulsa, known as Black Wall Street, was attacked by a white mob incited by racial hostility.

The assault destroyed 35 blocks, left an estimated 300 Black residents dead and displaced thousands.

Survivors were never compensated for their losses, and the massacre was misrepresented for decades as a "riot" instigated by Black residents.

The DOJ's recent review was initiated last September under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act to reevaluate the historical record and document accountability, the Guardian reported.

The DOJ's 126-page report reveals that the massacre was a systematic and premeditated act of violence, detailing the complicity of law enforcement in one of the deadliest racial atrocities in U.S. history.

Tulsa police and local officials actively deputized and armed white residents, many of whom participated in the killings, arson, and looting.

This new report contradicts a 1921 Bureau of Investigation report that unjustly blamed Black men for the violence, falsely claiming no federal laws were violated.

Survivors were detained in internment camps while the city obstructed reconstruction efforts. Despite these findings, the report concludes that legal barriers, including expired statutes of limitations and the absence of living perpetrators, prevent any prosecutions.

The DOJ aims to preserve the legacy of Greenwood by documenting the massacre's events, raising awareness of the systemic racism involved and providing a full accounting for future generations.